SPURS -at- LAKERS - 12/10 - Thoughts and :-)) ratings
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 11:40 pm    Post subject: SPURS -at- LAKERS - 12/10 - Thoughts and :-)) ratings

Closing Out the Homestand in Style... The Spurs have been steamrolling teams heading into this game. They destroyed Golden State by 40, Charlotte by 20 and the Clippers by 29 in their last three wins. They held an impressive 8-2 road record. Then, they Lakers made their stand.

With Kobe back in the lineup and the team fresh off a win without him, they challenged the Spurs inside and out. The Spurs like to collapse the D with penetration from Parker or Manu and set up shooters. Early on, the Lakers were giving them good looks at open perimeter shots. After the half, their rotations were a step quicker and more disruptive. They throttled the Spurs with a 22-3 run to close out the third quarter. They carried that momentum into the fourth and held off the Spurs for the 106-99 win.

The Lakers won several battles on the night. They took the points-in-the-paint stat impressively, 62-36. The took the fastbreak line, 17-6. They beat the Spurs 14-5 on the offensive glass. And, finally, they forced the Spurs into 19 turnovers (two more than the Lakers), leading to 27 points.

The effort was there tonight. Both Kobe and Lamar were on the floor for loose balls. Kwame was a beast on the offensive glass in the second half. Bynum had a strong quarter against Duncan and others. All five starters scored in double figures.

"They're a good team," Bruce Bowen said afterward. "They've got a lot of guys who are really understanding the triangle offense now, whereas last year and prior to that they were still kind of learning. But the more time they have with that, you are going to see this type of output from that team."


Kobe -- -- It's amazing how quickly he can bounce back. He wasn't at full speed, but he was able to make cuts and attack off the dribble unlike the forgettable loss we took a couple games back. Defensively, he was up and down, but played a key part on that end of the floor on a third-quarter run that pushed the Lakers ahead. In 39 minutes, he scored 34 points on 13-25 shooting (4-4 from the line...which was one tech and two intentially given FTs in the last seconds). He was money from three, going 4-5. He also had 8 boards, 3 steals and 1 assist with 4 turnovers. On his first score, he pumpfaked Bowen out of position and hit a 12-footer on the baseline. He missed a wing jumper. He attacked in semi-transition and scored a layup over Duncan. He missed an open jumper, rushing it before getting set. Back in after the Lakers were able to pull even with him on the bench, and he drained a baseline jumper. He knocked down a wing three with Bowen on him. He pushed up the break and threw up a wild shot, expecting a whistle that never came. He drained another wing three with the shotclock low to give the Lakers a lead. He attacked down the lane, missed a layup between two players, but we got it back. On the same possession, he attacked again, stutter stepping off the dribble (good sign) and scoring a layup to his right. He pushed up the break and hit Lamar with a deft touch over the fronting D for a layup. Kobe had 14 points at the half. He got called for a carry after complaining to the refs about Bowen holding. He attacked, took contact from Bowen, kept attacking and took contact from another Spur and bounced in an And-1. He attacked through the lane with a jumpstep (the kind they've been whistling for a travel) and scored a layup. He attacked, hesitated at the FT line, attacked again, spinning to lose Bowen, then reaching back to hit the layup. He drained a long three straight away. He went to the floor and tied up Elson for a jumpball, which we got when Elson tapped it to LO. Back-to-back steals by Kobe in a key stretch: on the first, he stripped Manu then took the outlet and threw down a huge dunk; on the second, he stole a cross-court pass, pounded up the dribble on the break with players around him and it eventually led to a Lamar three. Back off the bench in the fourth, Kobe actually played a weak start of the quarter. The team stalled on both ends as Kobe missed three jumpers and hit one three, and was making some poor defensive decisions on the other side of the court. He stalled the offense dribbling on the wing on another sequence, but went up and got clearly hit on a jumper with no call, bricked and was ticked at the refs. Kwame leveled Bowen on a pick, Kobe attacked and banked high off the glass over Duncan. With the Lakers leading by 7 with 2:21 left, Kobe tied up Duncan on the defensive end and drew a tech on Duncan, which Kobe knocked down. He blew off the LO/Kobe rub play Phil called and then turned the ball over. He drained a couple of last possession FTs to keep the game iced.

Odom -- -- Good game for Mr. Near Triple Double to make another showing. The Spurs got just 5 offensive boards in this one as LO and the bigs did a good job controlling the defensive glass. Lamar scored 18 points on 6-12 shooting (3-4 from three), pulled down 11 boards and dished 9 assists (but with 6 turnovers). Prior to the game, Lamar ranked 5th in the NBA in total turnovers (71) and 6th in turnovers per game (3.74). He also ranked 5th in total minutes played in the league. He is 10th in the league on the defensive glass (7.6 per game). He's done a good job on the defensive glass in the past two games, but wasn't effective point-wise (aggressive-wise) in the last game. With Kobe back tonight, Lamar didn't have to be as responsible for organizing the offense. He attacked off the high pinch post to score a layup on his first touch. He fought for an entry pass, then hit Bynum for a dunk. Silly pass, pulling up at the three line, then winging it to Bynum who was catching up to go into the post and the ball went out of bounds, nearly taking Bynum's head off. He got the ball on our next possession, squared up and drilled a three straight away. He missed a three short. He just missed a backscreen lob set up out of a timeout. He scored a layup in traffic after Kobe fed over the fronting D. Manu when down under the hoop and LO was tagged for a foul on a rebound. He shed Manu who was trying to flop, then powered up an And-1 between Horry and Elson, he made the FT. He faced up on Horry, stepped back and drilled a three off the dribble straight away. With the Lakers rolling, he swished a long three straight away shortly after a steal by Kobe who pushed it up. He nearly had an outlet pass taken away, but dove after it and called a timeout. He knocked down a couple FTs with 27 seconds left.

Walton -- -- When you start overlooking a 17-ppoint game by Luke against the Spurs you know things are going well for him. Prior to the game, Luke ranked 12th in the NBA in FG percentage (.536). Luke is averaging 12.5 points per game, more than doubling last season's 5.0 per game in about 13 minutes more per game this season. Coming off the career high, he continued to be aggressive. He shot 7-15 (1-2 from three and 2-2 from the line) in 34 minutes. He had his hands full at times defensively, but responded well. Early on, he missed a turnaround (turning to his left instead of his usual right). He missed a short jumper from about the same spot on his next attempt. He swished a three from straight away on his next shot. He missed a turnaround in the lane, again going to his left. He pulled down an offensive board and powered back up for a layup. He missed a wing three. Good hustle for an offensive board and it drew a foul. He pulled down another offensive board and drew another foul. He missed a layup while still in the air behind a fronting Parker. He got blocked on a breakaway attempt. Next time down, he attacked the lane, took contact on Elson and muscled in the And-1, he made the FT. He attacked on the baseline, whipped a pass to Kwame who powered in an And-1. He attacked at the end of the third and hit a leaner from about 11 feet out with 0.5 on the clock. He sealed Duncan in transition and took a long pass from Farmar for a layup. He scored a breakaway And-1 with 2:45 left after Kwame swatted dribble penetration on the D end (he made the FT).

Kwame -- -- After the game, Kwame focussed on how well Bynum played and mentioned how that sparked him. "I saw the energy of Andrew," Kwame said. "He came out in the first half, I think he went 3-3. I didn't want to have a let down for my team. Of course, I don't have the room to have a let down or I probably would have ended up on the bench." So, after a slow start, Kwame came on strong in the second half. He aggressively went at Duncan, he hustled on the offensive glass and he rotated with speed. He came up with several big plays down the stretch. Kwame finished with 11 points on 5-8 shooting (1-6 from the line), 5 boards (all offensive), 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. Kwame is averaging a career-best 1.2 blocks per game and 1.0 steals per game. Early on, he missed a jumper badly trying to beat the shotclock. Nice poke from behind to knock a ball loose to stop a fastbreak. He missed a throwdown attempt over Duncan (and stretched his shoulder a bit afterward). He posted up Duncan, attacked to his left, faked and drew contact, scoring an And-1, he missed the FT. He was called for a quick three seconds on his next attack on Duncan, trying to get another foul on him. He took a post feed, faked, then pivoted along the baseline around Duncan and hammered a reverse jam on him. He took a pass from Luke, took contact and a reach and powered in the And-1, he made the FT. He swiped a ball off a screen roll and fed Farmar for the breakaway. He dropped Bowen on a pick that freed Kobe for a score. He scored an And-1 when he and LO worked the offensive glass, he missed the FT with 3:36 left. Clutch defensive play, he erased Parker penetration with a swat and it led to a Luke And-1 on the break. Huge rebound off a miss by Lamar in the last minute and he powered in an And-1, he missed the FT. He drew two FTs blowing past Duncan from the elbow in the last minute, he missed both, but got his own miss back and reset the offense.

Smush -- -- Tony Parker is the engine on the Spurs offense. With the new rules allowing little contact on perimeter players, he's a tough cover. Defending him requires a team effort. Smush did his share in this one. Along with Kobe, Smush led the Lakers with 3 steals, but he had some solid hustle moments. He got hosed on a few calls throughout the game, but seemed to hold it together with a little help from Kobe late in the game. Smush scored 10 points on 4-9 shooting (0-3 from three), had 3 boards and 2 assists without a turnver in 29 minutes. Nothing on the perimeter was going for him, but he managed to get in the paint for scores. He curled off the double screen and scored a layup early. He took Parker off the dribble with a spin move to score a layup. He took a long rebound, pushed it up and scored another layup around Tony. Manu got a phantom And-1 against Smush with a flail in the air expecting contact that never came. Good anticipation to deflect a Parker pass and it ignited the break. He got screwed again against Manu, packing him on the break for what should have been a jumpball, but it went for two FTs. He spun on Tony and drew FTs with 36 seconds left in the half, the Lakers first FTs of the half, he made both. He fought through a Duncan screen and earned a foul on Duncan. He missed a three, we got it back and he attacked down the lane for a layup. Nice reach from behind when Tony tried to split the double team and Smush made him cough it up. Smush back-rimmed a huge two-hand putback dunk attempt on the break he should have had. Out of a timeout, he got it back by swiping Parker's post entry pass. He missed a wing jumper with 3 minutes left.

Bynum -- -- Drew had a key first stint for the Lakers that fired up the crowd, helped steady the Lakers, and (as mentioned above) lit a fire under Kwame. He was doing a great job on the boards early, a lot of energy and effort. He picked up a foul going over the back of Duncan. He posted up Elson and hit a jumphook in the middle of the lane. He dunked off a good feed from LO. He contested a jumper, ran the post sprint, took an early entry feed, drop stepped and hit a short jumphook with his left over Elson (very nice). Duncan tried to post up Bynum in the middle of the lane and Drew blocked his shot and recovered it to ignite the break (one of the plays of the game). He drew a foul on Duncan, posting him up. Good D again on Duncan, holding ground and helping force a turnover when Evans doubled with him. He had 6 points, 7 boards and a +8 in that first stint. He wasn't as effective in his next stint. He missed a jumphook. He fouled Manu who got him in the air on the perimeter, and Duncan hit a jumphook over him. He had a -8 in that second stint. He finished with 6 points on 3-4 shooting, 8 boards, 1 assist, 1 block and 2 fouls in 18 minutes. Prior to the game, Andrew ranked 10th in the NBA in blocks per 48 minutes (3.5) and 12th in defensive boards per 48 (10.6). He was averaging 7.4 points, 5.4 boards and 1.4 blocks in 18.8 minutes, and he's shooting .763 from the line and .545 from the floor.

Evans -- -- Back on the bench after his superb start for Kobe, Evans brought some good energy and helped the second unit to a long stint in the second quarter. Evans scored 4 points on 2-6 shooting and dished 3 assists in 17 minutes. He took a pass, head faked Horry in the air, then elevated on the other side fo the hoop for a two-hand throwdown. Good double on Duncan to force a turnover. He missed a corner three. He took a feed on the break, spun on Manu who was ready to go flying any second for a flop and Evans scored at the front of the rim.

Farmar -- 8) -- Farmar ranks first on the Lakers in assist-to-turnover ratio with 2.28. Farmar also leads the Lakers in assist per 48 with 6.4. Tonight, he added 4 assists with 1 turnover and scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting in 19 minutes. He played some excellent D on Parker in his first stint. Great challenge on Parker who pulled up for a jumper off a pick and we got a miss. Farmar got tapped on his first touch, a corner three. Kwame came up with a steal and outlet to Jordan, breaking away for a layup. He hit Luke with a long pass for a transition score. Good test for Jordan tonight and he played some very steady minutes for a rook. Farmar ranks 18th in the NBA in the statistical oddity of steals per turnover (0.72).

Cook -- -- Cook got some extended clock, able to match up decently with a perimeter oriented Horry for several minutes. There was a stretch when the Spurs went small where Phil needed to match up and he pulled Cook. Brian scored 4 points in 14 minutes on 2-6 shooting. He pulled down 2 offensive boards. In the game to start the second, he missed a pinch-post jumper. He tipped in a miss by Evans while clocking Horry with one of his frequently dangerous elbows. He missed a transition three (Cook is 1-8 from three this season). Nice hustle fighting for an offensive board, he missed a FT jumper shortly later. With the shotclock running down he drilled a stepback jumper standing on the three line.

Phil -- -- "Our defense was good," Phil said. "There were some things we learned as a team tonight that helped us grow up a little bit." When asked what those were, Phil smiled and said it was a secret... One of the those things might have been the response they got from the bench and the Laker youth. He subbed out four bench players with 3:50 left in the first half (Bynum, Farmar, Cook and Evans) for the starters after riding them for a long, successful stint in the second quarter. The Lakers outscored the Spurs 21-8 in that stint. Phil mentioned Drew's energy off the bench in the second that helped spark the crowd and even Kwame's game in the second half. Phil may have challenged Kwame at the half by pointing out Drew's success... The Lakers shot 49 percent to the Spurs 45 percent in the first half. The Lakers doubled them up 28-14 on points in the paint in that half, but only shot 2-2 from the line. We went 10-15 from the line in the second half... The Lakers got the Spurs into foul trouble at the 6 minute mark of the third. They went on a 22-3 run to close out the quarter. The Lakers had a 37-point third quarter, scoring numerous points off defensive intensity... Vlad tweaked his ankle and didn't see any PT. Sasha and Ronny also got DNPs... The Zenmaster had the guys run through a team meditation session earlier in the day...
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Mr. LakeShow
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 11:48 pm    Post subject:

It's good to see Bruce Lee Bowen showing respect to the Lakers.
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 11:49 pm    Post subject:

DB:

How in the WORLD can you not mention the 3 greatest "no-look" passes in the history of Western civilization? You know, the Kwame Brown no look to LO, who fumbles the pass. Kwame gets it back and tries to no-look a shovel pass to Luke, who fumbles it. Then, Kwame throws ONE more no-look to Luke.



That sequence was the best. They were all nice passes, just the guys were NOT expecting them from Kwame.
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 11:53 pm    Post subject:

[quote="magic_bryant"]DB:

How in the WORLD can you not mention the 3 greatest "no-look" passes in the history of Western civilization?

Calm down Bill!
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 11:59 pm    Post subject:

thanks db...great read, as always...

hope whatever momentum and energy this win was able to generate for the lakers carries over into the coming road trip...
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:00 am    Post subject:

This is our first win at Staples against the Spurs since November of 2003.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:06 am    Post subject:

magic_bryant wrote:

How in the WORLD can you not mention the 3 greatest "no-look" passes in the history of Western civilization? You know, the Kwame Brown no look to LO, who fumbles the pass. Kwame gets it back and tries to no-look a shovel pass to Luke, who fumbles it. Then, Kwame throws ONE more no-look to Luke.


Got to save you guys something to talk about.

Seriously, though, there is a lot I didn't get to in this one:

- The way we get up for the big games and have letdowns against lesser opponents.

- How well the team ran the ball down the Spurs throats at times.

- I assume most people know Kwame will match up with Duncan defensively.

- How we probably should have let Kwame and Bynum go a little more one-on-one defensively sometimes against Duncan.

- The other Spurs bigs are even easier to handle for LO than last year. That's big for us.

- The super quick three-second calls in this game. Some of those were nuts.

...I'm sure there's more.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:26 am    Post subject:

Good read DB. Thanks.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:27 am    Post subject:

wow we won! didn't see the game, hope to catch a delayed telecast, not sure if it'll be shown here.

now on to the road to prove our mettle.

thanks for the great recap DB!
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:30 am    Post subject:

kups wrote:
wow we won! didn't see the game, hope to catch a delayed telecast, not sure if it'll be shown here.


It's on NBA TV right now, I believe.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:44 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
kups wrote:
wow we won! didn't see the game, hope to catch a delayed telecast, not sure if it'll be shown here.


It's on NBA TV right now, I believe.



thanks for the heads-up DB, but i'm from a different part of the globe (philippines) where they show only 1, sometimes 2, featured games on nba tv, & i believe we only have 1 game today (GS vs. SEA)

i'll just be keeping my fingers crossed if it'll be shown on a local channel later in the evening.

luckily, i have your recap & pop's gameflow to keep me updated.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 1:02 am    Post subject:

Great win that shows the upside of the Lakers

Re: 3 Second Calls
As Stu Lantz stated, these call started at the beginning of the game and continued throughout the game. It was also stated that the refs could make "3 Second" call anytime they want.

Re: Kwame's Great Passes
Yes, they were great. Hopefully, LO/Luke/Jordan/Kobe passes are influencing Kwame while also showing how/when these passes can be made.

Re: Need for Energy at the "5" & "1" (As stated by Phil)
The "double-headed" rotation at these positions are seemingly providing what is needed while not placing undue burden (i.e. stamina, fouls, etc.) because they are sharing almost equal PT.
With Smush, he realizes that he has to limit his "brain cramps" and play at 100% ALL THE TIME - otherwise Jordan will take even more PT from him. This has resulted in Smush not being a liability, which is what Phil wants from him on a consistent basis.
With Kwame and Bynum - they consistently push each other and compliment each others. Bynum having more length, traditional low-post moves, etc. - while being young, not having enough stamina and not having all the necessary skills. Kwame having much more strength, quicker on his feet, better low post defender, etc. while not having Bynum's moves or length.

Re: Reserves
The Lakers' depth has allowed Phil the ability to give his starters more rest, combinations, different looks and the ability to have players that should always be in "attack mode."

All the above-listed things were demonstrated against the Spurs. Two things to observe: once you have shown me that you can do, I know will expect that (Stu Lantz) and how the Lakers will react once they go on extended road trips.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 1:43 am    Post subject:

magic_bryant wrote:
DB:

How in the WORLD can you not mention the 3 greatest "no-look" passes in the history of Western civilization? You know, the Kwame Brown no look to LO, who fumbles the pass. Kwame gets it back and tries to no-look a shovel pass to Luke, who fumbles it. Then, Kwame throws ONE more no-look to Luke.



That sequence was the best. They were all nice passes, just the guys were NOT expecting them from Kwame.


i really want to see this in action...
please put them in your game highlights mix, CaCHooKaMan~~~
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 2:42 am    Post subject:

Nice job DB.

This was a game I was waiting for. I respect the Spurs more than any other opponent in the league. Beating some of these other teams is nice, but playing San Antonio is the best reality check out there. When pressure is applied to something, you find out what's inside.

It starts w/ Kobe. The supporting cast follows his lead, so it's important he does the right things out there. Personally, I've found Kobe to be all too willing to get in one on one battles w/ Bruce Bowen at the cost of the team game in recent years. Sometimes he'll play great for 35 minutes, but he won't be able to resist getting into it w/ Bruce for an 8 minute stretch or so. It didn't happen tonight. He took his usual Kobe Bryant shots..which is absolutely fine. Yes he had a very good game, but it wasn't the Kobe show. There were no fadeaway three pointers. There wasn't lots of overdribbling. Hell, sometimes he'll convert those crazy shots, so I'm not saying it's always a bad thing. However, against a disciplined team like Spurs, I don't know if that's ever the right recipe for victory. I think he's also a bit more comfortable for Kobe now that the Spurs don't have that second 7 footer to block a couple shots per game. It had to be pretty difficult facing not only an all defensive team player on the perimeter...but 4 rejections a game once you got into the paint. Get rid of a third of that equation and things look a lot simpler.

Lamar Odom had a stretch of play towards the end of the third quarter that distinguished his perfomance in this game from his usual fare. Now, his usual play is quite good, so I'm not belittling what he does out there nightly. However, there is a fine line between all-star and good. What LO did tonight screamed all-star. Lamar is the type of talent that can go through the motions and still end up doing lots of beneficial things out there for his team. It comes down to competitiveness. Odom was competing hard tonight. It wasn't about following Kobe or anyone elses lead. Lamar Odom wanted the W. You could see when he muscled through Ginobili and Elson for the and one. You could see it on the next posession when he dribbled left and then drilled the step back from distance. He didn't even look for anyone else before he took it. It was his dagger to stab. You could see it when Kobe dribbled up court on the break, kicked it to Smush in the corner, and Parker swung it to LO thirty feet out on the top of the key....dude pulled up and nailed the triple in the Spurs hearts. That's 3 plays. Just 3. Yet it's a few plays like that a game that separate the all-star from the good. If Odom can have one such bloodthirsty stretch of basketball per game, he will no doubt be an all-star...and the Lakers will have a much better shot at reaching elite status.

Kwame Brown is becoming a great defender. He was a good defender. However, if you're a center, you're not a great defender unless you protect the rim. Brown is protecting the rim in addition to defending the post. He has excellent reflexes. There were two times in this game where he tapped Spurs passes out of bounds when you least expected it. The fact that he can absorb so much contact in the paint and still convert baskets...or make the no-look..or take a first step quick enough to leave Duncan in the dust....force you to refrain from boxing him in as strictly a defensive player.

Luke Walton is flat out confident. This is a guy that no one expected to start...he was a 2nd rounder...he had tons of huge weaknesses...it would be very easy for him to go back into a shell when things get tough. He doesn't. He seems more confident than he probably should be...which is a great thing. He's making the most of what he has. Vlad (even healthy) is going to have a very tough time becoming a starter w/ Luke playing at this level.

Smush did a decent job. He got some layups. He needs those. Smush didn't come to LA as a shooter (even though he had some early success here from outside), but he did get easy baskets from the get go. It's a big part of his identity out there on the court. Without a few layups a game, he seems to drift. He also had 3 steals and no turnovers. It was the first time all season he played a game w/ out turning it over. It was important that he played clean given all the TO's elsewhere.

This game will be a great mental reference point down the line when these guys are in the trenches verse a quality opponent.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:45 am    Post subject:

AI who? LO continues to be Kobe's Scotty Pippen. Great team win. Don't touch a thing Mitch this team just needs time.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 4:06 am    Post subject:

Great stuff, DB and sean2023.

Two plays I especially liked were seeing Luke and Mo put the brakes on in front of a poised-to-flop Manu in transition and finishing with a little pull-up 4'er. Showed that they know their opponent.

Kwame was beastly in the 2nd half.

Nice to have two guys that can guard Duncan straight up.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 4:49 am    Post subject:

Great job again DB!

Again, listening to the "local" broadcast living in the SA area, it was amazing to hear the props Sean Idiot was giving the Lakers. They were surprised that Kwame was trying to take TD off the dribble. (He should have had a 4th foul but didn't because of his star treatment). That reverse dunk was sick Then he liked starred TD down, like you didn't know?

LO showed the world why we would be stupid to trade him. Without at least a training camp, there is nobody in the league that would be worth trading LO for. I love his agression/confidence.

And to think we won without an effective Vlad Rad. Just wait till his stroke goes back to normal and the spacing he will afford everyone!!
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limchrc
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:08 am    Post subject:

Thanks for the recap.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:36 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
- How we probably should have let Kwame and Bynum go a little more one-on-one defensively sometimes against Duncan.

That was the only thing I thought should have been tweaked defensively. The Spurs are so good from long range, there's no reason to give them a better chance at getting a good look by cheating down on Duncan or doubling him so quickly. Not when Kwame and Andrew were playing so well against him.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:51 am    Post subject:

thanks DB

so glad to see them come out strong against San Antonio. I admit I got a little concerned when San Antonio started playing zone for a minute (not sure how long they even played it)...but it wasn't an issue at all.
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LakersInFour
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:59 am    Post subject:

I thought Smush played a very nice game last night, on the defensive end. He was actually going OVER screens, and trailing Parker defensively, and did a good job rotating defensively. Apparently this was designed, in an attempt to cut down on the drive and kick leading to three point opportunities that the Spurs offense is predicated on. Which makes me wonder if he goes under screens normally per coaching instructions.

He got good steals, and knocked the ball loose from Parker on that last "scrum" that led to Kobe tying Duncan up ... I don't think he was credited for a steal on that play.

Thoughts about Kwame ... I thought he had more than one steal ... i actually counted three. I thought the statisticians robbed him in this game. He looked great, as well. I especially like the way he was taking it up strong in the second half, and particularly enjoyed him taking Duncan off the dribble, to his left, from the high-post. If he can work on that jumpshot/freethrow shooting in the offseason, I could actually see him eventually moving into a PF role for us.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 6:37 am    Post subject:

One of the best games of the season by far.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 6:43 am    Post subject:

I thought Kobe tried gambling a little too much in the beginning, trying to go for too many steals, too many double teams, which left his man (usually Bowen) wide open for threes.

Otherwise, it was a great game by everyone.

It was very interesting to see how it was a playoff type game so early in the season. Phil went with a much shorter bench. I don't think Vlad or Turiaf even got a look from Phil.

This *should* give the Lakers confidence for the rest of the season, but I still think this team too often plays down to the level of their opponents. Hopefully they play beyond the level of their next three opponents (Houston, Dallas, Houston?) and get some wins on the road.
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targetman
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 6:46 am    Post subject:

I think we have to give Bynum a lot of credit for the work he did on Duncan in the first half. I think he surprised TD and energized us. If one guy can take care of Duncan in the post, the rest out to be able to take care of Parker and Manu from the outside (I guess Bowen's scoring ability was overlooked in the early minutes ). Bynum also lit a fire under Kwame and that is a healthy rivalry that can only help us. I love Kwame when he is on, it's like we have a player no one ever heard of before and he is a nasty beast!
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 8:04 am    Post subject:

Good stuff DB thanks.
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